


to make men of mice

by ornategrip



Category: Grimm (TV)
Genre: Domestic Violence, F/M, M/M, Minor Character Death, Murder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-26
Updated: 2012-02-26
Packaged: 2017-10-31 19:05:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/347402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ornategrip/pseuds/ornategrip
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A different take on the episode 'Of Mouse and Man' where Mason takes notice of the brave little mouse Marty and decides to woo him in his own snakey way. The domestic violence takes place between Natalie and Lenny, not Marty and Mason.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Mason treats Natalie’s abuse terribly; he’s not a very nice person. So this is semi-evil Mason and semi-sane Marty fic, I guess!

There was a mouse living on the floor beneath him.

Seemed fitting really, little mouse scurrying under his feet. Mason didn’t pay him much mind, just caught the scent of him here and there. The mouse had the sense to hide from him so he never actually saw him.

Until last night.

The asshole across the way was screaming at his girlfriend again. Mason heard him as he came home from work and rolled his eyes as he unlocked his door. They did this every other day, it seemed. Mason had always ignored it and did so again, going into his apartment and shutting the door.

He was just flipping his television on when he smelled the Mauzhertz. Surprised, he set the remote down and sat up, looking in the direction of his door. Then he heard knocking but it was across the way. Little mouse was knocking on the door of the screaming couple. How oddly brave of the little thing.

The screaming stopped, Mason heard the door swing open and curious, he stood and made his way to his own door. He didn’t open it, only cocked his head and tried to listen.

“Uhm, I-I just wanted to see if everything was all right.”

“It’s fine, Marty. You should go.”

The woman, sounding worried and shaken. Marty was it? Marty the mouse.

“Who the fuck is at the door?” Big booming voice of the asshole and then the sound of a scuffle.

“Lenny, please!” The woman begging again and then the soft startled squeaks from the mouse.

Mason opened his door and was utterly surprised by that. It hadn’t been a conscious decision but oh well. The three people in the hall were staring at him so he stepped smoothly out of his apartment.

“Is there a problem?” he asked cooly, eying the man in distaste. The girlfriend had her hands on his chest, like she was attempting to block him from the Mauzhertz. The mouse was huddled against the far wall but the fact that he hadn’t already gone scurrying away was surprising.

Lenny turned his glare at him but Mason just returned a stony stare and it didn’t take long at all before the man dropped his eyes.

“Don’t give a fuck.” Lenny muttered before disappearing back into his apartment, leaving Mason with the woman and the mouse. She turned to him, makeup smeared and face splotchy from tears.

“Thank you.” she said, attempting a weak smile. “He only gets like this when he’s drunk, really. Thank you too, Marty.”

The last said to the mouse who was slowly peeling himself away from the wall. He wasn’t meeting any of their eyes, head hunched low.

“It was nothing.” he mumbled and then scurried away, darting past Mason and down the hall. Mason watched him leave, feeling a little amused by the whole thing. Funny mouse, trying to be brave. 

The woman was talking to him.

“Thank you again,” she was saying. “I’m sorry we make so much noise.”

He waved a hand.

“Don’t worry about it.” He glanced back down the hall where the mouse had gone. “Marty help you a lot?”

The woman’s smile was genuine as she answered.

“Marty? Oh yes. He lives right under us, so I guess he hears it all. He’s such a sweetheart, you know?”

She paused a moment and then blurted out,

“I’m Natalie by the way. It feels so strange, we’ve been neighbors for months but I’ve never introduced myself.”

Mason took out his wallet, plucked out one of his cards and handed it to her.

“Mason Snyder. You ever need anything, my number is on the card.”

Then he went back into his apartment, putting the little Mauzhertz out of his head.

*

In the morning, he saw Natalie as she was getting into her car. She smiled at him and gave a little wave that he returned. The scent of the Mauzhertz lingered in the air, already gone for the day Mason figured. He slid into the front seat of his car, ran his hands around the steering wheel before starting the engine.

Work was boring. The same thing over and over. People injured, wanting money. Most were assholes but a few here and there were actually as hurt as they said they were. Mason always found it a little refreshing, these people who told the truth and seemed utterly bewildered that they lived in a world where that wasn’t always rewarded.

Mason always worked just a little bit harder on those cases. He tried to win all his cases, of course, and usually did but the truth-tellers… Well, he liked to give a helping hand whenever he could. Mason was a Lausenschlange; a snake in the grass. Lying was his nature, the milk he’d grown up on and quite frankly he was a little charmed by the few honest souls he’d come across.

Of course, he was also willing to help those who lied and cheated. If they did both well enough, who cared if it wasn’t the truth? A win was a win and if the person who lost was too stupid to see the lie, that was on them.

That was how the world worked, after all.

It was only as he was driving home that he wondered about the Mauzhertz. He supposed it was a little odd that they had lived in the same building for so long. A Mauzhertz and a Lausenschlange didn’t really cohabitate in any way shape or form. If any other Creature came along they’d probably wonder what was going on.

Mason hadn’t really thought about it, truth be told. But it was strange that the mouse hadn’t moved out as soon as he moved in. Marty had been there first, he recalled, though at the time he hadn’t paid much attention. Why would he? Mice were such simple little Creatures. Barely worth a thought.

When he reached his door, the apartment across for his was silent, no yelling or shouting or sounds of things being thrown. Either Lenny and Natalie weren’t home, or they were actually getting along for once.

They were quiet all night, whatever the reason was; no need for a mouse to investigate. Mason told himself he wasn’t disappointed and went to bed.

*

The next morning he was just getting into his car, various other neighbors doing the same when the Mauzhertz came barreling out of the building. He ran straight to Mason, half in half out of his seat.

“I-I wanted to thank you.” the mouse stuttered, obviously terrified but standing his ground. He was darting looks over at the other people in the garage. Reassuring himself that Mason couldn’t do a thing to him if there were witnesses. “For helping Natalie.”

Mason pulled out of his car and while the mouse flinched, he didn’t run. Mason leaned against his car, lifted his hands and spread them wide.

“What I’m here for.” he said, with a charming snake smile. Marty just squeaked and scurried over to a beige car getting in and zooming out of the garage. Mason watched him go, still smiling. Funny little thing, all right.


	2. Chapter 2

After that, every morning, the mouse would be hovering near his own car waiting for Mason to arrive. As soon as Mason entered the garage, the mouse would wave at him and then jump into his car and take off as if afraid Mason was going to give chase.

Brave and cowardly at the same time. Tempting death and then running away. Of course, that was as if Mason was going to kill him, which he was not. It made no sense to kill a neighbor. That just got you arrested. Mason enjoyed his life on _this_ side of the law. When he went to court it was as a lawyer, not as a defendant.

Not that Mason hadn’t killed before, he was a Lausenschlange after all. People who got in his way were easily taken care of and he had some skill in hiding evidence, thank you very much. The skeletons in his closet would never be found. Certainly, the Mauzhertz suspected him of being a killer and Mason didn’t try to convince him otherwise. Why, when it was the truth?

Didn’t seem to matter to the Mauzhertz anyway. He still waited for Mason in the morning, giving his quick little wave.

And whenever his neighbors began to scream and yell, Mason would wait for the little mouse to come creeping up the stairs before he intervened. Helping the mouse becoming braver, he told himself as he waited patiently inside his apartment. When Marty knocked on Natalie’s door and when that door opened, only then would Mason step out and calmly deal with the angry Lenny.

As soon as Mason arrived, Lenny would skulk back into his apartment, leaving Natalie, Mason and Marty alone in the hall. They’d chat, at least he and Natalie did while Marty shuffled his feet awkwardly and twisted the sleeves of his jacket.

Marty would glance soulful brown eyes Mason’s way, just a quick locking of eyes before he’d turn his attention to the floor. Terrified or shy; Mason couldn’t quite tell. He’d try his best to coax Marty out, asking him questions and Natalie, unknowing, helped. Chatting easily and Marty at least was calmer with her, seemed less likely to bolt when she was the one talking to him. After all, _she_ wasn’t a snake.

Over time, Mason learned a variety of things about Marty. He ran a junk shop on the east side of town, was an only child and didn’t watch much television, preferring to read. Unlike Mason and Natalie, he had lived in Oregon all his life, was originally from Eugene.

Lenny seemed to calm down, too. He still yelled at Natalie a bit but his more violent tendencies seemed to be taken down a notch now that Marty and Mason were there, keeping an eye on him. He was still an asshole, he just didn’t swagger around quite so much. Mason had actually been disappointed. No fighting meant no Marty coming up to investigate.

Then one day, he had met Marty and Natalie both in the hall, Marty helping her with her groceries. He smiled at them both.

“Oh, what’s this?” he asked jovially, stepping between the two of them to take the bag Natalie was carrying in her arms. She smiled back.

“Marty was kind enough to help me with my groceries. This way I only have to make one trip.”

Mason glanced back at Marty as Natalie opened her door but Marty didn’t look up. Then Natalie waved them through and Mason went, heading for the kitchen and putting the bag on the counter. The apartment wasn’t as bad as Mason thought it would be. Natalie obviously worked hard to make the place nice but Lenny’s touch was here and there. Greasy tools thrown haphazardly on the kitchen table, shirts and socks strewn about on the furniture.

Marty had placed the bags he had been carrying next to Mason’s and Mason took a deep breath, scenting him in. Natalie was hovering in the living room, scooping up some of the clothes, embarrassed. Mason clapped his hands, startling Marty and Natalie both.

“How about we go to my place for some coffee? It’s the good stuff, I promise.”

He gave Natalie another charming smile and she agreed, leaving Marty no choice to do the same. He led them both to his apartment, unlocking the door and ushering them in. 

“Take a seat anywhere you’d like.” he said, “I’ll go get the coffee on.”

He had an open concept apartment so while he was in the kitchen he could still see them and call out and join their conversation. Natalie sat in the easy chair while Marty perched on the sofa, tense and looking like he was ready to bolt. As a matter of fact, when Mason approached with their drinks, Marty began to stand.

‘I- I really should be going.” he stuttered and Mason handed him his mug, pressing it into his hands firmly enough that he had to take it.

“Nonsense. You just got here. Enjoy your coffee.”

He gave Natalie her coffee then sat down next to Marty who shifted a bit away as if he wanted to escape. Mason pretended not to notice and settled back into the couch, edging just that little bit closer. He sent a dazzling smile Natalie’s way.

“So how have you been?”

They chatted amicably for over an hour, pointless pleasantries. Mason didn’t care, Marty was a warm soft presence at his side the whole time. 

*

This went on for months with Mason swooping in to rescue both Marty and Natalie whenever Lenny decided to start something. The man seemed to have a blow up every couple of weeks or so, times when his temper made him forget that Mason was just across the hall and now ever so willing to intervene.

Mason had managed to coax Marty into his apartment for coffee a handful of times. Natalie always came along. The only way Marty would step one foot inside was if she was there. Safety in numbers, Mason supposed, although he was a little insulted that Marty hadn’t figured out he had no intentions of killing him by now.

And then one morning, Marty was waiting at Mason’s car instead of near his own.

“Here.” He shoved something at Mason as he approached and Mason took it. It was a small box, an Egyptian jackal gracing the lid. Mason blinked at it, a little perplexed but Marty was already shooting off to his car.

“What is it?” Mason called out, box held loosely in his hands. Marty looked over his shoulder, hint of a blush staining his cheeks.

“A gift, for all your help. It came into the shop yesterday. I thought of you.”

And then he was getting into his car, slamming the car door shut and driving away, leaving Mason standing there, bemused.

A jackal? He would have at least thought Marty would have given him something with a snake on it. Oh well.

Mason put it on his desk.


	3. Chapter 3

Another Mauzhertz moved in. Mason could smell him, his scent mingling with Marty’s and he was curious but Marty was nearly non-existent for the rest of the week. No little mouse waiting for him before work, to smile shyly at him as Mason got into his car. Mason didn’t miss it.

He was just curious.

Which was why he was sharing coffee with Natalie in his apartment, having invited her in on a whim. She had glanced at her apartment door, biting her lip before saying yes. Probably worried about Lenny finding out. Mason didn’t give a damn.

“Marty?” she asked, coffee half way to her lips. “Oh, his dad moved in with him. He hurt his back somehow and now Marty has to take care of him.”

She hesitated, looking a little conflicted and Mason smiled at her encouragingly. It was the same smile he used on witnesses when he needed them to talk.

“I don’t think they get along very well.” she blurted out. “Marty seemed very upset about it.”

“Well,” Mason said reasonably, “maybe he was just worried about his father’s injury.”

Natalie shook her head, tucking her hair behind her ears. A blatant nervous tic.

“No, I don’t think that’s it. Marty said his dad wasn’t the nicest man.”

Hmmm.

*

Two days later, Marty had yet to reappear so Mason went looking for him. When he came home from work, he went to Marty’s floor instead of going to his own apartment. As he moved down the hall he could hear a man’s voice through the walls. It was coming from Marty’s apartment.

“Useless,” the voice was saying, “Never amount to much-”

Mason rapped on the door, hard enough to make his knuckles ache. The voice fell silent and after a few minutes of shuffling, Marty opened the door a crack. When he saw Mason, he dropped his eyes, staring at the floor.

“Uhm, yes?”

Mason pushed him gently inside and Marty fell back before him as Mason stepped through the door. He glanced around, curious. Messy, the beginnings of a hoard if he didn’t miss his guess. Marty must be under a lot of stress if he started hoarding at home, away from the mouse nest he called a shop. An old man sat on the couch, squinting at Mason with narrow eyes.

Mason headed right for him, held his hand out for a handshake.

“Mason Snyder,” he said smoothly, “Injury lawyer. I understand you’ve hurt your back?”

The man didn’t take his hand.

“Lausenschlange.” he said instead, spat it out like it was a curse word. Marty made a small, mortified noise but Mason ignored it. He pulled his hand back, took a seat opposite of the man. Crossing his legs, he arched his brow.

“Naturally. So you know I must be good at my job.”

It took some coaxing but the story came out. The old man’s back had gone out, at the chain store he worked at in Eugene. They had fired him and refused to pay his medical, claiming that he hadn’t been hurt at work. Easy peasey. Mason could do this in his sleep. Something like this usually only took threats from a lawyer.

“I’ll take care of it Mr. Burgess.” he said, standing and Marty scurried after him as he headed for the door. He opened it and was about to leave when he hesitated. Marty was looking at him inquisitively while his father glowered in the background.

Suddenly, Mason didn’t want to leave Marty with that man, who said such things to his only son.

“Have you eaten?” he asked and Marty looked startled, shook his head. “Then let’s go eat. I can talk to you about what I’m going to do with your father’s case.”

Marty began to look over his shoulder.

“I don’t know…” he said hesitantly, biting his lip. “I probably shouldn’t leave him.”

“He’ll be fine. We’ll only be gone an hour or so. I promise.”

“Well..” Marty was clearly torn between familial duty and wanting to escape his father.

“Come with me,” Mason urged, no idea why it felt so important. He dug his keys out of his pocket and dangled them in front of Marty. “I’ll even let you drive.”

He hadn’t missed the lingering glances Marty gave his car, longing so obvious on his face. His car was his baby, but he figured it wouldn’t hurt to let the little mouse drive. He’d be in the passenger seat anyway, making sure nothing happened to his car.

The way Marty’s face lit up was worth it.

*

He had him drive to a diner near his work, he had a feeling anything nicer would send Marty running back home before Mason could so much as blink. This place was decent enough, for what it was, offering down home staples and comfort food.

Mason had a feeling Marty needed all the comforting he could get. His father was an all around unpleasant man. Mason knew unpleasant men; he worked with them for a living. Some were even professional assholes, making a living by screwing others over. So if Mason thought the father was a complete and utter bastard, that was saying something.

Marty was nearly buzzing in his seat and as soon as the waitress was gone he asked,

“Do you really think you could take care of my dad?”

Mason could think of one way he could ‘take care’ of Marty’s father but he was pretty sure that wasn’t what Marty meant.

“Of course. I wouldn’t say it if I thought I couldn’t do it. I’ll make some calls, make some threats, say I’ll go the media. Odds are they’ll just settle out of court to make it go away.”

That earned him a smile, Marty ducking his head low so Mason could only catch it peeking around the edges.

“Thank you.” he said softly and Mason suddenly felt flustered, took a long drink of his water to cover it up.

“No problem.”

When their food came, they fell back to more innocuous topics. Marty’s junk shop was holding steady, Mason’s law office was doing well. They talked about books they had read, Mason teasing him about his love of science fiction. Mason preferred thrillers, himself.

After, Mason took Marty to the little club he went to to relax. It was a quiet understated place, where the music was muted and instrumental and the wait staff inconspicuous. Mason plied Marty with expensive whiskey and after a few drinks, Marty loosened up, stopped looking so nervous.

Their conversation was seemingly lackadaisical but Mason had an endgame in mind. It was easy enough, part of Mason’s job was getting people to talk about things they didn’t always want to talk about. Coaxing Marty into a conversation about his dad without the other man even realizing it was easy.

“I moved here to get away from him.” Marty blurted out after careful prodding, wringing his hands. “But then he got hurt. What else was I supposed to do? Throw him out on the street? He’s my father.”

Honestly, Mason would have thrown him out on the street, father or not. Then again, Mason’s father would have more sense than to go to his son while weak and vulnerable. Mauzhertz and Lausenschlange obviously had different ways of viewing family.

“It’ll be okay.” Mason told him. “I’ll get him so much money he can go retire some place warm. He’ll be so far away he’ll never bother you again.”

The smile Marty gave him was genuine and sweet and Mason noticed that for possibly the first time since he’d known him, he wasn’t hunched over but sitting up straight.


	4. Chapter 4

It took a few months but Mason got Marty’s dad his money and with careful prodding had the man on an airplane to Florida.

“Sunshine, pretty women, beaches.” he had said with a grin, “What better place to spend your retirement?”

The man’s beady little eyes had brightened up at the description and Mason arranged for the flight himself, helping the old man fill out the forms for his new retirement condo. Part of Mason was tempted to send the man to a shit hole but if he did that, he might come back to Portland. So Mason researched and asked around and found a nice, affordable place for Mr. Burgess where he would hopefully spend the remainder of his life.

Marty was free.

And much more friendly to Mason, no longer shying away when Mason came too close. After a week or two of Marty smiling at him so sweetly, Mason managed to coax him into his apartment. Just Marty and Mason, drinking coffee and Marty had chattered away about this and that. Mason couldn’t really tell you what Marty had been talking about, exactly. He had just been pleased that Marty hadn’t smelled of fear in the slightest.

Everything was going very well.

Even Natalie seemed to be doing better with Lenny, the apartment across the hall quiet and serene. Mason didn’t believe for one minute Lenny had actually changed, assholes didn’t change, not ever but for whatever reason, he was behaving. Which meant he only saw her on odd occasions, running into each other in the hall. 

Mason was glad of it, for Natalie, because now it didn’t matter if they screamed; Marty still came up to his apartment whether those two fought or not. Mason could afford to be generous. He had his little mouse friend and all was well.

Then Lenny lost his job.

The screaming started up again and Mason really didn’t care except it made Marty distressed and unhappy. So Mason went back to intervening but it didn’t work as well as before; Lenny just waited until Mason wasn’t around. Natalie took on that frail look she used to have, flinching and withdrawn.

Marty was nearly beside himself with worry.

Mason was torn between helping Natalie and leaving her to it. Every time her name came tripping off of Marty’s tongue, Mason could feel something inside himself pull tighter. Natalie was a nobody and the fact that Marty cared about her so much made all the dark parts of Mason rise up, hissing. He’d abruptly decide to never help Natalie again and then the fighting would start and Marty would look at him with such pleading eyes that he’d find himself across the hall before he knew what he was doing.

He had entertained vague thoughts of killing Lenny, choking the life right out of him and dumping his body in the river, maybe. Marty would give him an alibi, Mason was sure of it. And if Lenny was dead, Natalie would probably move out, or Mason could convince her to leave. He had already tried that angle, tried to get her to leave Lenny but for whatever reason, she couldn’t seem to leave the bastard while he was alive.

Mason just wanted them both gone. Out of sight, out of mind and maybe Marty wouldn’t mope around looking so sad. But still. It was all vague half-formed plans. Mason was busy with work, a sudden influx of cases and he’d much rather spend what little free time he had with Marty. Not trying to figure out how to kill his neighbor.

He was just coming home late, stupid case on the verge of falling apart because the idiot had decided to go boating when he was supposed to be gravely injured. He was tired, exhausted to the bone and annoyed that as late as it was, it meant he wouldn’t see Marty tonight.

He parked his car, pulled himself out and into the building on what felt like pure willpower. His feet were dragging and he was practically fantasizing about getting to sleep in his bed as he made his way to his apartment. He was in the stairwell because of course the damn elevator wasn’t working when Marty came flying down the stairs. 

He nearly crashed into Mason, who swayed back as surprised as Marty was. Marty stumbled to a stop, eyes wide and startled. He nearly tripped over his own sneakers before trying to run past him but Mason, quick as a darting snake, grabbed his arm. He pulled him into the light, free hand cupping his chin to tilt up his face. He had the beginning of a massive bruise on his cheek, remnants of blood under his nose. His lip was split, blood sliding down his chin.

“Who did this?”

His voice came out a sibilant hiss and Marty paled, began to struggle wildly in Mason’s grip. Mason didn’t let him go, if he did Marty would be off like a shot and he’d never learn who hurt him. Instead, he turned his head away, took deep, deep breaths until he calmed down.

Marty had calmed too, no longer fighting to escape. Instead he stood there, head cocked to one side as if Mason was a curious artifact. Mason glared at him but Marty didn’t flinch or look away, just gazed at him with those soft brown eyes of his.

“I asked you a question.”

Marty shook his head.

“It doesn’t matter.”

His hand moved without his consent, his thumb wiping at the dried blood under Marty’s nose, stopping to rest against his cheek. Marty sucked in a deep breath but otherwise didn’t move, just let Mason touch him. The scent of his blood was heavy in the air but it didn’t make Mason hungry. It made him angry.

“Did Lenny do this?” he asked, deceptively casual. He had already handled the mechanic who tried to screw Marty out of a twelve hundred dollars. A few well placed threats and the bill had suddenly dropped dramatically. He had told Marty that next time his car acted up to consult Mason, he’d take care of him like he always did. Marty had laughed and grinned up at him, so pleased and happy that it made Mason’s chest feel tight and strange.

This, though. This made Mason very close to violence, made his fangs want push out and his skin itch to change to scales. _This_ was not something he was going to allow. At Lenny’s name, Marty’s eyes flickered, dropped for a split second before rising to meet Mason’s again.

“No.” Marty said, clearly lying through his teeth. “It wasn’t Lenny.”

“Then who?”

“Nobody. Nobody who matters.”

“Tell me-.”

“Please.” Marty interrupted. “Please. I want to go home.”

He looked soft and vulnerable in the low light of the stairwell. Marty didn’t need to be interrogated right now. What he needed was to go back home and curl up in his nest to lick his wounds. Mason dropped his hand from Marty’s cheek.

“Go home.” he told him. “Make sure to lock the door and don’t come out again tonight.”

With a nod, Marty vanished down the stairwell. Mason stared down the way he had gone for a few silent seconds before continuing up the stairs to his floor. Natalie was hovering in the hallway, her face bruised and her nose bloody. Very similar to Marty’s injuries, in fact.

“Did you see Marty?” she asked tearfully as he came closer. “Is he okay?”

Mason studied her, for one brief second taking in the vulnerable line of her throat. Then there was a crash from inside her apartment and she winced. He turned to look at the closed door.

“He’s still in there?”

She nodded, biting her lip.

“I’m so sorry but can you help me? I want to get my stuff and leave but… ”

She trailed off and Mason nodded.

“Of course,” he said smoothly. “I’ll even walk you to your car.”

Lenny didn’t like that at all, screaming and threatening Mason but too much of a coward to make any sort of physical attempt. Natalie gathered her clothes quickly and Mason took her by the elbow as Lenny screamed death threats behind them.

Once Natalie was in her car, Mason leaned into the window.

“You have some place to go?” he asked, solicitously and she shook her head, wiped at her tearstained face.

“I was going to go to a motel.”

Mason pulled out his wallet, plucked out a handful of twenties. When she began to protest, he firmly placed them in her hand.

“Take it. Go some place nice. You have my number? Good. Call me first before you come back for the rest of your stuff. I’ll make sure to be here to help you.”

She’d be gone all night, at the very least. Good. Mason needed the time.

He went back upstairs, but not to his apartment. No. He’d be paying Lenny a visit first.


	5. Chapter 5

Two days later Mason’s cell phone rang. It was Natalie, asking for his help and he agreed easily, telling her he’d meet her after work in the parking lot.

When he got there, she was sitting in her car. She got out when she saw him, face still bruised.

“Hey.” 

She looked nervous and uneasy, glancing over her shoulder.

“Uhm, do you know if Lenny is around?” she asked, eyes on Lenny’s empty car space. Mason had moved it that first night, dumping in a seedy part of Portland. Most likely it had already been stripped of parts, vanishing as completely as its owner.

“I haven’t seen him.” he answered truthfully. No, he hadn’t seen Lenny since he left his body in a dumpster on the other side of town. Dear Lenny was rotting somewhere under a pile of garbage at the landfill by now, never to be found.

He smiled at Natalie, held out his arm.

“Even if he is around, I won’t let anything happen to you.”

She managed a timorous smile and they went up to her apartment. Mason took the key from her trembling hand, opened the door and made a show of calling out for Lenny and searching the apartment.

“Doesn’t look like he’s at home.”

She came in warily but made a beeline for the hall closet. She hauled out flat cardboard boxes and stared down at them.

“When I moved in.” she said by way of explanation. “I used these. Guess I’ll use them to move out.”

Her laugh was frail and edging towards hysterical. Mason quickly distracted her with packing; he didn’t want her tears, he wanted her gone. Fortunately, she got control of herself and between the two of them, they packed up things quickly and efficiently. Mason knew she was moving so fast because she was terrified Lenny might come back.

In the end, she really didn’t have much. Lenny had lived there first, all the big pieces of furniture belonged to him. Mason was just wrapping the last of the dinnerware when there was a knock at the door. Natalie turned to him with wide frightened eyes and he shook his head.

“Why would Lenny knock? He has a key. Go ahead. Open the door.”

He could smell Marty on the other side but it wasn’t like he could tell her that. She went to open the door and he listened to their conversation. Blah blah blah thank you so much blah blah blah. He rolled his eyes as he taped up the box, frowning when Natalie stepped out into the hall. What the hell were they doing? He stacked another box on top of the one he just closed up and carried them both over to the door.  
   
Marty seemed surprised to see him, although Mason had no idea why. Hadn’t Mason proved over and over that he was willing to help Natalie if that was what Marty wanted?

“Just helping the little lady move.” he said smoothly. He couldn’t help but wink as he moved past Marty down the hall. The faster he got this junk in Natalie’s car, the faster she was out of their lives. He hummed to himself as he went down to the parking garage.

Marty came down a few minutes later, a box in his own hands. He was eying Mason curiously. His bruises were just as bad as Natalie’s but Mason was pleased to see that they were starting to heal.

“About Len-” he broke off as two of their neighbors came into the garage heading to their car. Mason gave him a warning look and Marty nodded, sheepish.

“Right. Not here. Did you want to come over for dinner tonight?”

Mason had had Marty over plenty of times but this was the first time Marty had invited him over. The time Mason had met Marty’s dad didn’t count; Mason had basically forced his way in. To be invited? Mason was very pleased, even if it seemed Marty just wanted to talk about Lenny.

Mason would take what he could get.

*

It was cleaner than last time. Obviously without his father around, Marty hadn’t had the extra stress to trigger the need to hoard at home. There was a pile of books and assorted stuffed animals around the place but other than that, pretty clean. Mason picked up a stuffed panda, staring down at it in bemusement. Marty liked stuffed animals, huh?

“I made baked chicken with a side salad.”

Marty appeared at his shoulder and Mason put the panda down.

“Sounds great.” he answered warmly as Marty smiled shyly at him, leading him over to the small table. Plates were already set out and Mason helped himself to the chicken and the salad, pretty basic fare but edible. Marty really wasn’t much of a cook but then again neither was Mason. All Mason usually did was call out for take-out.

They settled down to eat, talking about their day. Mason had just finished telling him about the case he had when a silence settled over them.

Marty was moving his food around his plate and Mason eyed him.

“I should probably be upset at you for what you did to Lenny.”

“I didn’t eat him.” Mason said, feeling affronted and Marty sent him an amused glance.

“I didn’t say you did.”

What Mason did do was left hanging silent in the air unsaid. And it would remain unsaid. Never admit to a crime, ever. Not even to someone you trusted more than anything in the world. Mason killed for Marty and he wanted to make sure he’d still be around to help Marty. He couldn’t do that from prison, now could he?

Marty just smiled at him and shook his head. They changed the subject.

*

Later that week found Mason at the grocery store, picking up the few basics he needed to get through the week. He was just heading for the dairy when the table full of stuffed animals caught his eye. They had the usual, mostly bears of different sizes and colors. A couple of stuffed cats that he rejected outright, sharp-eyed predators that they were. Of course, by that logic, the bears were out too. Mason sighed. What was he doing, trying to pick out a stuffed animal for Marty in the middle of the grocery store? This was foolish.

He'd have to go to a toy store to find what he wanted.

Sure enough, in the third specialty shop he visited downtown he found it. A plushy snake, all greens and yellows. Long enough to curl into a circle but not so long as to be ridiculous. He paid for it and left the store whistling.

*

It was the beginning of the month, so the landlord was pounding on Lenny’s apartment door when Mason came home. The little man looked ridiculous, all rotund and sweaty looking.  Mason wrinkled his nose, smoothing out his expression when the man turned his way.

"I'm looking for Lenny." he said, as if Mason couldn't have figured that out on his own. Mason didn't roll his eyes but barely.

“I haven’t seen him in weeks,” Mason offered, “I think he skipped out.”

“Dammit.” the man exclaimed. “He owes me for last month!”

Mason held up in his hands in a ‘what are you going to do?’ gesture then went into his apartment. He didn’t smirk until the door was shut.


	6. Chapter 6

The stuffed snake was curled up in its bag on top of the table when Marty came over for dinner. Mason hadn't cooked anything but he had his phone on the counter, ready to go. He'd let Marty peruse his many menus and then call it in. Work was still crazy and he was too tired to take Marty out somewhere to eat. Take-out would have to do.

Marty ignored the pamphlets though, heading towards the bag as if drawn.

"What's this?" he asked, curiosity making his nose twitch. Mason gave him a fond look.

"Something for you. Go ahead."

Marty didn't need to be told twice, opening the bag and pushing aside the tissue paper. He pulled out the snake, a delighted smile on his face. He wrapped the tail around his forearm, hefted it up.

“Where did you get this?”

“Saw it in a store window when I was downtown.” Mason lied, “You seem to like stuffed animals, so I went in and got it.”

Marty turned to look at the snake, moving its head back and forth with a little laugh. It pleased Mason to see Marty so happy with such a little thing, a little thing that Mason gave him. As he watched, Marty’s smile slowly faded, his expression turning thoughtful. He put the snake down carefully on the table and walked slowly to where Mason stood.

Then he just studied Mason with such a serious expression on his face that it made Mason uneasy. He shifted on his feet but didn’t look away from Marty. He was just about to ask what Marty was up to when Marty moved.

He darted forward, went up on his toes and pressed his mouth Mason’s. It shocked Mason, startled him so much he didn’t move, even as Marty went back on his heels. Mason touched his fingertips to his lips, still not quite believing.

“What-?”

Marty stood his ground, staring up at him defiantly.

“I wanted to. So I did it.”

He squeaked on the last word but other than that was remarkably brave. It made Mason want to kiss him again, so he did, moving slowly enough to telegraph his intentions. Marty didn’t move away, only swayed towards him and he pressed a gentle kiss to his mouth.

God, how long had Mason wanted this?

Mason pulled back to press his fingers against the fading bruise on Marty’s cheek. Almost healed, sped up by Wessen biology. The cut on his lip had disappeared days ago. Marty reached up, covered Mason’s fingers with his own, his eyes soft and knowing.

Mason leaned forward to kiss him again, starting off slow and sweet. The kiss changed as it went on, gentleness fading as lust took over. He slanted his head to kiss Marty properly, swiping his tongue between Marty’s sweetly parted lips. Marty tasted like he smelled, sweet and strangely woodsy. The scent that had been teasing Mason for all these months.

Mason had been a little afraid that the passion of sex, the lust and the adrenaline might make his body respond violently but no. Marty had stopped being food a long time ago. Mason didn’t see a Mauzhertz when he looked at Marty. All he saw was Marty, his little friend that he couldn’t quite live without.

Still kissing him, Mason moved them through the living room. His bedroom door was open, thankfully, so he pulled Marty into the room, tugging at his clothes. He pulled back.

“Christ, how many layers of clothing do you have on? It’s like a nest you wear.”

Marty laughed, eyes bright and cheeks flushed.

“Maybe I get cold, okay?”

“I’ll make you warm.” Mason couldn’t resist saying, waggling his eyebrows and Marty laughed again, such a perfect, beautiful sound that Mason wanted to spend his whole life hearing it. Together, they managed to get all of Marty’s many layers off, tossing them wherever they fell.

Then Marty attacked Mason’s tie, getting it hopelessly tangled. Mason yanked it over his head, shed his shirt and pants like he was shedding his skin. Both naked, Marty splayed his hands on Mason’s chest, just touching him warm and soft. Mason let him, stood still as Marty seemed to soak up the moment, his eyes sweeping up and down Mason’s body.

Then his hands swept up along Mason’s chest, along his neck to cup his face and tug it down. They kissed again, pressing their bodies together as Mason walked them backwards toward the bed. When Marty’s knees hit the mattress, he sat down with a startled oof, his mouth pulling away from Mason’s with a slick wet noise.

He looked startled as he stared up at Mason and then he laughed, bouncing up and down the mattress before moving up it to the middle. Mason followed him, smiling, crawling onto the bed after him. Once he was over Marty he dipped his head down to kiss him, dropping down to blanket him with his body. Marty was so tiny, fit underneath him so perfectly that Mason entertained ideas of never letting him leave the bed again. They kissed eagerly, Marty’s hands scrabbling at Mason’s shoulders and clinging to him.

Their hips slotted together perfectly and at the first touch of their cocks, Marty pulled his mouth from Mason’s to moan, a heart-felt sound.

“Yeah,” Mason murmured, “Let me hear you, you’re perfect, yes.”

Marty whimpered at the sound of his voice, rocked his hips up and Marty rocked his hips down. They found a rhythm, Mason muttering absolutely filthy things into Marty’s skin. Marty didn’t talk, only made little animal noises, squeaks and whimpers and moans and it made Mason ever hotter for him, pressing sloppy wet kisses wherever he could reach.

When Marty’s hips stuttered, began to lose their rhythm, Mason went back to his mouth, kissed him deeply and pressed him down harder into the mattress. It was a race from then on in, rocking against each other frantically while their tongues tangled.

Marty came first, crying out into Mason’s mouth as his hips jerked and the warmth of his come spread between their bodies. He surged forward, biting hard at Mason’s lower lip and it triggered Mason’s orgasm, grinding his body down onto Marty’s still shaking one. He tucked his head into Marty’s neck, groaning out his pleasure.

As they came down, they stayed like that. Mason curled on top of Marty, breathing in their combined scent. Marty brought his hands up to play idly with Mason’s hair, his touch soothing and sweet. After a while, Mason managed enough strength to roll off Marty, hauling him against his side as soon as he was able.

Marty chuckled, pressed a kiss to Mason’s jaw.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“Better not.” Mason muttered sleepily, making sure to twine his arms around Marty so he couldn’t escape. The combination of sex and long work hours was catching up to him as he struggled to keep his eyes open. Marty just laughed again, snuggling down deep into Mason’s embrace as he lost the fight to stay awake and dozed.

He woke a little while later when Marty slipped from the bed.

“Wha-?”

“Shhh.” Marty murmured, bending low to kiss him. “Go back to sleep. I’m just hungry.”

“Take-out numbers on the fridge.” he managed to mumble before rolling back to get some more sleep. Marty let out a little humming laugh and wandered out of the room. Mason let his head sink back on the pillow, the sound of a mouse puttering around his apartment the last thing he heard before falling asleep.


End file.
